Poker Face
by Rakusa
Summary: Not Gaga song! Serena's in witness protection, Darien is a local chief of Police in her relocation, he doesn't know she's in it.
1. Prologue

Poker Face

11 March 2010-

but the idea came about SO much earlier, just not sure if typed it up before...

SUM: Not Gaga song! Serena's in witness protection, Darien is a local chief of Police in her relocation, he doesn't know she's in it.

* * *

AN: What more can I say? This is pretty self-explanatory, and the rest of it will just need you to read to understand the rest of the plot or whatever else. I just hope I remember all the fine details I had thought up when I created this story in my head a long, long time ago. If not, I'll still try to create something awesome! It seems as I'm picking up all of my old stories and a few new, original ones too, this is an old story, finally making its way into cyberspace, although I'm not sure if it was ever written on paper.

Please review!

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Prologue

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Serena glanced over her shoulder as she walked down the street towards her apartment. Her lips quirked up at the girl following her. The child was walking the dog and the dog seemed to be walking her more so than the other way around. Neither dog nor child were very large, but it was interesting to see such a tiny dog pull the little girl.

Serena shook her head and headed into the building. She turned too quickly and ran into a man that she hadn't realized was there. He caught her and her groceries from falling onto the dirty ground that everyone trampled through. "Hey there!" He teased as he held the bags, but let her back away from him to a comfortable distance.

"Thank you, these things would have bruised easily." She attempted to take it back from him, but he moved them out of reach.

"I'll carry them for you." The man was tall, pale, blond and green eyed. "Especially since you seem to have problems carrying them yourself."

Serena laughed and pointed him towards the elevator. "Thank you, it's very kind. What should I call the rescuer of my produce?"

"Hero?" He teased as the elevator took them skyward. "My real name though is Andrew."

"I'm Serena." Serena's blue eyes met his and he smiled back at her, even though they weren't saying anything, they were flirting with one another. There were glances, look aways, smiles when caught and it kept going on all the way up to her flight.

"You live pretty far up." He commented when they were looking for something to say.

"Yeah, it'd be a pain if the elevators ever stopped working."

Andrew chuckled. "I'd just have to help you carry up the groceries every day then."

Serena couldn't keep the smile off of her face as they talked on their way up. She was newly single and she normally wasn't for long. So she leaned against the side of the elevator and looked up at him with a coy smile. "So you live in the building?"

"I moved in earlier this week."

"So have you finished unpacking yet?" She batted her eyelashes. He seemed like a nice guy, and she wouldn't get serious with him until after getting to know him for awhile, but he seemed like the normal guy she went for, nice, handsome, blond, maybe a little paler than she was used to, but then maybe he had a different ethnic background, more Northern European than the rest of them.

"Not yet, the apartment is in complete disarray." His smile was really nice too, his white teeth gleamed in the light.

He helped her carry the groceries into her apartment and set them on the counter, but since they were talking, he took a seat on the stool and continued their conversation as Serena put the groceries away. Afterwards though, he had to leave, he hadn't realized how late it had gotten and had to go to work. It was all right with Serena as the made plans for the following week to go out to get dinner and when he left, she cooked a meal and ate it before heading out herself. She had to open up her cafe, no doubt though her chef was already in working away on new recipes.

She picked up a couple of dozens of flowers before walking the rest of the way. Her cafe wasn't too far away, she could walk there every day in any type of weather. Serena stretched as she walked, it was rather sunny out, and it was a nice change after the very cold winter they'd had.

She let herself in, and called out to Lita, the chef, Lita responded in return and Serena heard a bit of noise before the girl was wiping her hands onto her apron and smiling at her boss. She was an olive tone color, with chestnut colored hair and green eyes. She was very pretty, and Usagi didn't know where her coloring came from, but whatever it was, it was a great mix.

"Hey Sere, how's your day going?" Lita adjusted the straps behind her, tightening the apron a little bit. It was a habit Lita had developed whenever she talked to anyone while at work, when they were hanging out outside of the cafe, Lita never toyed with her clothes, then again, they had been friends since infanthood and it might just be weird for Lita to be under Serena, even though it wasn't like that between them. Lita had almost as much in stake in the shop as Serena did, only Serena had put up the most money for it and they took care of different aspects, Serena the business, surprisingly and customer service for the most part, Lita pitched in there as well on occasion, and Lita took care of the food and buying it from the markets to create her fantastic creations.

"Oh, it's good..." Serena grinned at her friend before turning to exchange the flowers, the previous day's were still decent, but she'd rather keep them fresh and keep the stink out of her cafe. "I met a guy."

She heard nothing and she titled her head to look at her friend, and Lita had an eyebrow raised. "What's new about that? Guys are just falling off your fingers like cheap, oversize rings."

Serena rolled her eyes and finished arranging the closest bouquet. "He seems nice, his name is Andrew and he just moved into my apartment complex, we have a date for next week."

"Well, if he's better than Shawn, then he's got that going for him."

"Shawn wasn't so bad." Serena defended, though it had taken her months to finally work up the courage to get rid of him, once and for all, he had a lot of faults that outweighed the good and by the time Serena had recognized that, she had trouble shaking him loose.

"He was a shopaholic." Lita shook her head. "Not to mention his personality defaults."

Serena sighed and straightened away from the flowers, she was done, and she didn't have something to occupy even her hands now, if not a tiny part of her attention. "Lita, I'm done with him, he finally got the hint and left, let's not even bother to talk about him, ok?"

"All right. Hey, you want to test out my newest concoction?"

Serena beamed. "When have I ever said no to food, especially yours?"

Lita laughed, and the two of them headed into the back to test out the newest addition to the menu. In some ways, they weren't any different than they were in high school, and for that, both were very thankful for the consistency.

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Serena was nursing her over-filled stomach, Lita always made slightly too much, and part of the reason was so they'd have something to take home for the next day's meal each, and Serena appreciated it. But Lita's extras were also for the two of them, and mostly Serena, to snack on during the shifts, as they served the guests and Serena worked on paperwork in the back during slower times. Serena never gained any weight from all the food she served her body, which she was thankful for a hundred times over, because otherwise she'd never make it through a door if it affected her like most people. That was saying something too about her eating habits, as Lita's food not only tasted good, but was magically healthy too, comparatively.

Serena would be remiss to have to find another chef as amazing as Lita, and not only in the kitchen. Lita was the greatest friend a girl could have, and she was almost like a sister in so many ways. Serena reminisced about the girl she not only co-owned the business with in all practical senses, but also her oldest and dearest friend.

They had grown up together, living practically right next door to each other, their parents had been friends, and their mothers had grown up together as well, almost like sisters in their own rights and their parents were friends too, but not nearly as much as the following generations. When they were fourteen, as it so happened to be that their mothers had gotten pregnant right after the other, they were so close, a tragedy struck. Lita's parents were going on a second honeymoon when their plane fell from the sky, and were never seen again, lost in the chaos of the ocean and retrieval of remains.

Lita was going through a hard time and the house was so large for a girl so young and on her own. When news arrived, it was on her answering machine as she was staying the week at Serena's anyways. Lita was only going back to her place for a change of clothes and as she was upstairs picking things up, Serena saw the blinking flashing light. She hit play, to see if it was anything important and that day both the girls felt like they lost family, even if only one was blood related. Serena didn't even need to convince her parents to take Lita in, there was no were else that they would allow her to go. Lita and her then grew up together and graduated high school.

The money Lita got for the house and her parent's estate went towards college and putting a down payment on her own place after college and rent and everything else needed in the mean time. It was a small nest egg, and it was only after Serena had put up the money towards the cafe and employed Lita, Lita would have waited to put down roots until after finding a job otherwise.

They had roomed together throughout college, the two were inseparable their whole lives. Serena smiled at all the memories filtering through her mind, they were so different, yet they worked together so well, it was so easy being friends with the girl, and even though it was time to live apart, they were never closer.

Serena was heading down the street to her apartment thinking about the house that was near Lita's that had just gone up for sale, it wasn't right next door, but it was a cute place. Maybe she should finally move out of her cramped space and invest in a house as well. She had the funds for it and she'd had serious relationships in the past that could have shifted towards marriage, but she was not ready for it, but maybe she could see herself making the move towards it some day, and even if that didn't happen, then she'd at least have a place of her own to call home, and not have to ride up the elevator 30 flights and pray that it never failed. The idea was forming in her head and she was growing to like it a lot. She was working on the numbers and trying to figure out how it would all work out when something caught her eye as she passed an alley leading into a hideaway business front. With the city being so old and new buildings growing despite what was there earlier, it created interesting and sometimes creepy ways into shops.

What she saw in this one, changed her entire life and all her tentative plans blew up in her face.


	2. Chapter 1

Poker Face

11 March 2010-

but the idea came about SO much earlier, just not sure if typed it up before...

SUM: Not Gaga song! Serena's in witness protection, Darien is a local chief of Police in her relocation, he doesn't know she's in it.

* * *

AN: I hoped you liked the Prologue, welcome to Chapter 1... I have an EAN at the bottom, near the pretty little review button, that looks just so tempting sometimes... hehe...

AN2: Yes, there is a time leap, everything else will be explained in due time.

Please review!

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Chapter 1

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"This is where we're staying?" Serena questioned, looking out the window of the black Audi, not that it was very inconspicuous in this town, she thought the point was to draw attention away from her, let her blend in, not point neon fingers in her direction as the newest rich person to move into the small town.

Serena was hunched in the back seat with her seatbelt buckled and a blanket over her lap and one wrapped around her head and shoulders as she peaked out of the tinted windows so she could see out, but no one could see in. It helped too that the windows were bullet proof, but she doubted it was bomb or tamper proof as well.

"We aren't going to stick out, this is just this part of town. There are plenty of rich people, some local celebrities and some prominent politicians." Mason rest a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, no one will even really notice you, you'll just be part of the norm here."

"I don't know anything about being rich." Serena objected. "My family was always well off, but we never attended anything like these people will throw. I don't even have a southern accent."

Mason laughed and pulled off the black sunglasses she had covering her face, despite her protest and grab for them back. "These." He waved them about to punctuate his point. "Is a giant step towards the rich attitude, they don't like to be seen and they like their anonymity for the most part. It also helps to cover any drug or alcohol consumption the night before. As for the southern accent, I would hardly call Virgina south."

"It is to a Bostonian." Although she was a suburban girl at heart, she loved the city, her accent wasn't so pronounced as the people within the city, she was sure though that she was going to be pegged for it the moment she opened her mouth down here. This was going to drive her nuts, being so far from civilization and the only form of it here, was stuck up rich people. Boston wasn't free of it's high society and rude behavior, but she still felt it was friendlier and more down to earth while still enjoying the champagne tastes she preferred.

"Don't pout." He admonished her, but it was still only in jest, for being a professional, he was very laid back. She wondered again where he was originally from and if his job took him so many places that he'd just learned to go with the flow instead of trying to control every situation, and if that was the case, was he the best for her? At the same time though, she kind of liked it, he was very similar to her personality, and even though he fit the norm of her 'type', she wasn't interested in him in the least that way, which might make pulling off the con that much harder, maybe it was just her frame of mind at the moment and when she felt more at ease, it'd make it more acceptable to like him and over time, maybe, she just hoped, not too much, because she knew it was all a farce, but it would be nice not to have to fake attraction to their audience.

"I don't pout." She grouched, sinking into the seat more and hiding herself further in the black blankets.

"It's nice to see you doing something other than curled up in a corner." He pulled the blankets away from her face. "Come on Serena, you should enjoy it."

She winced when the fabric brushed her cheek and wasn't expecting it, he looked apologetic for any pain she was feeling, but wasn't going to apologize for wanting her to snap out of it. "It's Victoria now, Micheal."

Mason sighed and let her bury herself back into her blankets, for awhile there, the spark he had first seen had come back, even if she was grouching about the choice of relocation. It was an abandoned house that they'd found, a safe distance away, but still close enough for her to fly back and testify if they needed her further. The house happened to fairly well known and upscale, and only people who'd pulled strings like they did, to make it appear like there was a lot of money involved, or very rich people who wanted to renovate the place would move in, the history behind it wasn't completely upscale, but the house itself was very nice, and very old. It was a change from her previous life as a well-to-do family's daughter who owned a cafe, she'd need to find a different occupation and while usually they'd have to take a step back, she might be able to take a step up without disclosing their former occupation, especially if she was to appear as rich as she seemed.

Mason knew she wasn't happy about the move, that she had to abandon everything she knew and loved and leave it all behind without a word to anyone, but her life was more important to everyone than what she perceived as her life, it was just things and people, all could come and go. While what she was doing could help hundreds more than the few she might be attached to.

Their driver was behind a glass divider and it was soundproof, only Mason and his boss knew where they were, it was a closed circuit, if there were any leaks in the business it'd be one of them and easily rectified. They had hired the car and the driver separately, so the driver only believed it to be an Audi he was driving, while Mason knew so much more about it. Usually he'd be the one driving, but Serena was a delicate case at the moment and he'd rather check out the car on safer grounds while the driver was taken back to the airport by a taxi he had called ahead and booked for that express reason.

Serena didn't know it, but her newest personality development would fit in well with the rich and famous, and he'd hope to use it if it came down to questions about them. He could always say that he had taken her here for a holiday because of pressures back west. People would take the non-disclosed information and twist it into a rehab trip, making her go cold turkey and during the time she was having a fit and closing herself off from the world, or he made sure to do so, so she wouldn't find supplements to her drug habits. Of course none of it would be real, and he'd wouldn't confirm anything but people's imaginations would get a hold of them, in the way he'd rather it do, and not the crazy schemes of murder and kidnapping, or bank heists and they'd leave them alone or offer their support or derision. Despite the way she was right now, Mason thought Serena could handle it when she got around to being herself again. Mason only hoped that was soon and in the mean time he'd kill the bastards.

They pulled up to the front gate, there was a house sitting slightly behind the fence, Mason recalled that the small house was inhabited by two older individuals, married for almost half a century and had taken care of the land and the main house for generations, even if the house lay abandoned, they still maintained it, supported by government funding because the local government didn't want to see the attraction, no matter how slight, deteriorate.

The driver rang the buzzer and Serena hid herself completely in the black blankets, making herself look like pile of cloth, instead of a girl bundled up this winter day, even if it wasn't even that cold out compared to Boston this time of year and much less than other parts of the country.

The old man came to the gate and opened the doors. "You must be the newly weds!" He greeted as he leaned into the car and looked in. A slight frown covered his face as he only saw the male driver and the man sitting in the back with the rest of the compartment full. "I guess things have changed since my hay-day. We couldn't get enough of the female figure, even if we were leaning a different way, or so my friends who swung that way, said. I know that I never wanted anything else but the misses."

The driver explained that it wasn't like that, that he was only driving the couple in, and then he'd be leaving via taxi that Mason had planned. The old man was still frowning at the back, wondering no doubt, where the bride was, but leaned away to open the gate manually further, to let them in.

He slid into the front passenger seat and chatted away with the driver, and Mason lowered the window to hear what he had to say. He was talking about the grounds and the history, at least the history he was proud of. Mason frowned at some of the security risks involved with the land and the gate itself, if anything were to happen, he didn't want to get the old couple involved, but it would have to be a must if it wasn't electronically opened, and even if people bypassed that, they might head to the small house to get answers.

The old man turned to greet the newest owner of the place. "My name is Art." The gray hair was long, past the man's shoulders and was held back with a flat clip, allowing the hair to be back and in place, but wider than a pony-tale. He didn't look as old as Mason was expecting, probably in his sixties, maybe older, the lines on his face weren't very pronounced, and he looked like he could handle himself in a fight and did a lot of work on the land. Mason took a quick assessment of Art, and despite a few flags, like his name, and appearance, seemed trustworthy enough to leave in charge of the area if he were to leave for awhile. He had an open face, and open demeanor, as if, if there were any secrets, they'd be easily found out, and not with all the high tech gadgets and information gathering that Mason could gather from intel. The information he'd be seeking would be plain on Art's face.

The man looked more like a lean punk than an artistic type, but he dressed like someone who could be perceived as either. It was hard to tell what the man's hair color would have been if he hadn't grayed. Mason leaned forward in his seat to talk to the two men up front. "Is that short for something?"

"Arthur, but I don't feel like being associated with the British Hero or the child cartoon."

Mason's lips twitched, the man had a personality. "I'm surprised that you are up on the latest information in children's television viewing."

Art rolled his blue eyes. "Please, if it wasn't for a gaggle of grandkids, I wouldn't have a clue."

Mason nodded and leaned back into the cushion behind him, and listened to the two talk some more. He wrapped an arm around Serena's shoulders, or what he thought were them, he too couldn't really tell with all the fabric separating them. He leaned in close and whispered down into her general vicinity. "They don't seem so bad, do they?" He had meant the couple, and he felt a shake in the black blankets but she never emerged or responded. He turned his full attention back on the men up front as Art chatted.

Serena would have bemoaned missing the splendid sight as they arrived onto the grounds just before the mansion. It was a tall building made of stones and brick, vines clung to the outside like a facade and the green was just now fading away into the brown for the winter, but in the summer housed several white and pink buds along the stems and broke the cold gray stones into a vibrant display of color.

The grounds too were turning brown, but promised beauty for the spring. There were hills upon hills of grass and flowerbeds along the perimeter of the house. There was a drive down to the gate and small house lined with these flowerbeds, now standing empty, but at one time no doubt held multiple arrangements depending on the season. There was also a foot path leading off behind the house going from more concrete settings to stepping stones just out of sight. Trees grew at amazing angles just outside of the furthest reaches of the grounds and beyond one line of trees was a river bed with the clearest blue water anyone had ever seen, and was deceptively deep and wide.

Mason nudged Serena to get her to look and a tiny finger poked out to move the blankets away from one blue eye so she could see without being seen. They were nearing the house, so she'd missed most of the grounds, but he still heard the slight intake of breath at the beauty before them. She would have to change her opinion about being stuck out here and he'd relish rubbing it in her face if she wasn't feeling so shitty as it was.

When the car pulled to a stop just outside the tall red front door, Mason got out and directed the grounds keeper to open the door for them. When it was parted, a black blur shot from the car and into the house and up the stairs, disappearing around a corner before anyone even had a chance to understand what was going on, well... all except Mason, who'd only sighed in annoyance at the behavior, for not understanding the rich, she sure was acting like a spoiled one at that. He understood why, he just thought the others might view it differently.

He could only imagine where he'd find her once the others left. He grinned at Art as the driver got out and headed back to the cottage to wait for his taxi on the front porch. Art only smirked kindly, taking it the best he could without passing judgment. "Couldn't wait for a bathroom?"

Mason rolled his eyes skyward, acting the role perfectly. "Women! Can't use a public restroom and don't want to stop for a cleaner one either."

"My wife's the same way, will hold it as long as she can until she can get home and use the one she cleaned herself to guarantee it's cleanliness. What's your wife's name?" Art looked up the long staircases, no doubt admiring the way she flew up them faster than anyone he'd probably seen before. The stairs weren't only long, but also winded up to the second floor, but still allowing an open foyer to see up onto that level's length until they got closer to the rooms up there.

"Victoria, and yours?"

"Luann." Art gestured towards the left. "Mind if I show you around?"

Mason didn't mind and followed Art around the house, keeping an ear out for Serena, in case she was where they were headed and would be able to shift Art away from that area. He shouldn't have allowed her to disappear from sight in a house that he hadn't checked out yet, but the other option was leaving her with two strange men outside in a running car or having her walk the grounds with him. He had no reason to believe the grounds to be anything other than safe, and he confirmed it with the tour of the house and adjacent grounds. He had to admit, this house blew even his expectations away, and he was planning the location and had information about it through his own research. Apparently, everything was under-exaggerated.

Mason said good bye to Art and showed him out the door, and watched the old man walk down the dirt road until he was smaller than was necessarily able to see, the house wasn't too far away, able to see at a distance, but not a hindrance to the view. Mason turned the lock and then headed up the stairs to the bathroom Serena had holed herself into. He knocked before letting himself in and knelt beside the tub, he ripped away the blanket covering her head and she squeaked in protest. "This is not allowed in here!" He claimed, throwing it behind him and reaching in to take her face in his hands. "This place is a new start for you, and you will take it as it stands. I won't push you too far, too fast, but I want you to at least try." She only cowered down into the tub more and away from him. "The danger won't reach you here."

"Gabe made the same promises." Serena buried her head into her arms and the second black blanket hid all but her long blond hair. Mason reached out a hand to run through the silky strands.

"Would you rather we change everything about you as well?" She knew what he meant just by the touch and the question and she shook her head, and he let her go. "It'll be an option if you ever want it, but I really think you'll be fine here, there's no one who can get the information back to Boston, we're practically in the middle of nowhere, and everyone here is more interested in their affairs than the local issues of the New England News."

It did little to reassure Serena and Mason pushed away, he headed into a bedroom that had the pillows switched out for modern ones and freshly bought, and pillow cases and sheets so they wouldn't be sleeping in old and dirty fabrics. He was glad for the foresight by Art and Luann, and brought the pillow and second black blanket into the tub with Serena still in it. He dropped the pillow in and threw the blanket over her.

"I'll be sleeping in the attached bedroom." He stated and headed into the other room, lying on top of the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wide awake, and alert. Even though he'd said he wasn't concerned about her safety here, he was still concerned about it in general, and especially for the first week, he would have to be completely aware of their surroundings and any dangers that might befall his charge.

While he laid there, he thought about the small woman sleeping in the bathtub, a strange location for her to choose, yes, but it made her feel safer and more secure. There were moments, like earlier in the car, when Serena would emerge and he would have hope for her recovery, and then there were times like now, that he feared she'd always be haunted. Being around so many men, probably disconcerted her after only having to deal with Mason for the last week.

It was then that he heard the tears start and he rolled out of bed to console her. It seemed to be the same time every day, just as the sun was setting. He would need to find her a therapist if this continued and it would end, one way or another.

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EAN: So, as you have noticed her code name is Victoria... and no, this is not a reference to code name V or twilight, it's actually what they were going to call her in the DUB before they shortened Serenity to Serena and made it so obvious to all of us, more so than it originally already was going to be. I mean come on, it's Prince Darien in the DUB, erg! Anyways, so that's where the reference comes from. I know someone might be upset with her character change, but believe me, it's necessary, as you'll slowly find out through following chapters, where I promise you, she gets less mopey and more normal again. So as stated above, there's shiny green letters just below this in a white box... it's clickable!!! YAY!


	3. Chapter 2

Poker Face

11 March 2010-

but the idea came about SO much earlier, just not sure if typed it up before...

SUM: Not Gaga song! Serena's in witness protection, Darien is a local chief of Police in her relocation, he doesn't know she's in it.

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Mason looked at the bundle huddled up on the bed that they 'shared', and for the time being, it was true, as he didn't want to leave her side too long for several reasons, and also there just wasn't any linens for the other beds in the house that he was tempted in the slightest to use.

It had taken Serena a part of a week to move out of the tub and into the main room, and now she laid there most of the day. He sighed as he brought up to the side table a tray for her to eat off of. There was tea, grapes and a small sandwich. He'd tried denying her support by leaving her in the bed and making her come down to get her own food, but after a few days of not eating, she finally emerged long enough to grab a piece of bread and a glass of water and then disappeared back up the stairs. It had been another couple of hours before the pattern repeated. It at least got her out of bed, but she wasn't providing herself a nutrient rich meal, and he didn't want her to die on him because of poor diet.

He'd tried everything he could to think of a way to get her out of her funk, and nothing was effective, he sat on the side of the bed and pulled the blanket away from her head so he could see the pale girl beneath it. She was looking sickly and he couldn't stand it and it wasn't all from her own doing, he traced the bright red and black bruises on her jaw, they were over a week old, longer even, and they were just now getting to the dark stage, he wondered how long it would take to get to the ugly stage, and how long that would last before they even started to fade away. The ones before them had just started to become less noticeable.

"I have to leave you." He stated, it was only for a little while, but that caught Serena's attention, and she looked at him instead of at the wall she'd been staring at for a long time. She was locked up in her own head, and he didn't know what she was thinking about, but it had to be her past. "I need to go get groceries, among other things, our supplies are depleting."

"Can't you get the old couple to do it?"

"You want them to come to our house?" He raised an eyebrow, any other point in her life, Serena wouldn't minded, hell, she would have gone to get the supplies herself, and talked to them on her way out the door. She had been such a soft person before, and this experience had really knocked her around in many different ways, and she was trying to recover her sense of justice and rightness in the world. It might take her an entire lifetime to get back to her old belief system, or she might have to face reality and try to fit that into what she used to believe and create a new mentality about the environment she lived in and what people were capable of. Serena shook her head and tugged the blankets tighter around her. "I won't be long, you won't even notice I'm gone."

"Then why tell me?" She asked, wondering if he was doing it on purpose to make her paranoid.

"In case you need me, or were looking for me, you'd know where I was." He covered her up with another blanket, maybe it'd be best if he just bought into her need for seclusion, and took care of her and her health in the mean time while he waited for her to bounce back.

Serena nodded and hid the yawn that wanted to break across her face. "Ok, don't take too long." She smiled at him and he smiled back, one thing about Serena he knew for sure, was that she would always believe in people until they proved her wrong, even if she was a little more weary about them now and getting close or talking to them.

He stood up from the bed and asked her if there was anything in particular she wanted. He got a negative answer and then went outside to the car and drove down the path to the gate. He stopped by the cottage and got out of the car to talk to the older couple. He and Serena hadn't really seen or talked to either of them, Art twice, and Luann once, when they'd attempted to come to the house and greet the two. Serena had stayed hidden and Mason had to diffuse the situation and ask them not to stop by so much, they were very private people when it came to their personal quarters.

He was also going stir crazy in that house, he needed to get out and about, even if his training had provided him with the skills to sit out almost any length of time either through stakeouts or hideaways and recoveries. Mason had a full and vast history with this line of work and something partially similar. He was the best suited in protecting Serena, as long as he was around and she remained out of trouble and didn't give him the slip. That was hard to do, and he didn't think Serena would try, but he'd seen another blond female attempt the very same thing he was hoping would be discarded in any of Serena's plans.

He pulled out his cellphone, it was off, but he tapped it against his leg as he waited to be let into the small house by the fence. He wanted to call someone, but knew the risks, no matter how slight the probability were if he were to even turn the phone on. He put it back in his pocket, it was only for the absolutely last option, it wouldn't be such a big leap to associate his removal from New York with that of the Boston Cafe Owner's disappearance from the public eye after such a major case. To pick him out of the many hundreds of thousands that walked New Yorks streets would be a stretch, but his own partner had died in the last relocation and it would point to him being the next viable candidate to be watching over her.

The door finally opened and Luann's face greeted him, he still couldn't get over the age difference between the two of them. While Luann looked older, it was in a soft, motherly sort of way, her hair was still dark, but peppered with sprinkles of salt colored hair through the still black mane. "Ah, Micheal, what can I do for you?" She greeted in her typical kindness and pleasant way.

"I have to head into town for a little while. I was hoping you would make sure no one entered the grounds while I am out."

"Shall I go up to the house to keep her company?" Luann asked with her soft smile, only intending to please. She no doubt wondered why they hadn't employed more help on the grounds, especially for inside, they took care of the outside and a weekly check-up before it had been inhabited but other rich people would have hired help. Though the lack of any help did support his claims that they were very private people.

"No, no." Mason shook his head. "I believe that would be unnecessary."

Luann and Art had seen Mason on occasion on the grounds but had never even witnessed Serena, they were probably beginning to suspect he'd murdered her and was just hiding out in the house until he could do away with the remains. "Ok then. Enjoy your time out." Luann bid goodbye and walked to the gate to open it and close it after he left. Luann went back inside to finish working on her latest project.

Mason drove into town and walked into the local grocer. While it was all high-end, it was still quite small and people knew everyone in a town this small. A small brunette bumped into him when she wasn't looking in his direction and she turned to apologize. He looked down into blue eyes shrouded by hair cut short. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She wiped off some of the powder that had gotten onto him when the bag of flour she was carrying hit him. "I didn't see you there. I'm so lost when it comes to this kind of thing. My sister is flying in for the weekend and I wanted to bake her something before my brother brings her round."

Mason patted down his sweater. "No problem. It's an easy fix. Where is your sister flying in from?"

"LA." The short haired brunette responded and in this light, her hair almost looked like it had a blue tint to its dark locks. They weren't quite black, more of a dark brown. "I don't know why I bother, it probably will never get finished and she probably wouldn't appreciate it anyways." The girl laughed. "I'm sorry, where are my manners?" She juggled some of her bigger item groceries, she had a basket for the rest. "I'm Ami Shields."

"Micheal Conner." He shook her hand, he knew he had to be at least as friendly as the rest. "Flying in for just the weekend? She must really want to get out here."

"She comes four times a year, she's got a pretty tight schedule. She'll be out longer in a few months though. Conner, huh?" Ami quirked her head to the side in thought. "Are you the one that just bought that beautiful mansion up on the hill?" It was just slightly out side of town, not within any kind of walking distance, unless one expected to be walking all day round-trip.

"Guilty." He grinned at her and took some of her load, he was finished, Serena wasn't eating much quickly and he wanted to get anything that was heavy in nutrients.

"Everyone who has ever been to this town has just loved that house. It's a shame its sat abandoned all these years. My brother was actually looking into purchasing it, but you snatched it right out of his fingers." Ami laughed lightly. "I must say, he is rather crestfallen about it too, he loved it more than most. But you have a wife, and will no doubt be starting a family soon, a house that large is perfect for someone like you."

Mason found the woman easy to talk to, and shared a lot without sharing too much. "What is it that you do, Miss Shields?"

"Well, my husband and I work for the local hospital. Well, I should rectify that, he's a concierge doctor and I work for the hospital. Can you believe he gets more time off than I do?"

"You're married then? I apologize for the slip of the tongue. You had talked of your siblings. Is Shields your married name then?"

"No, I kept my name, legal headaches and all that to change it after already receiving my degree and then getting married. I'm sure you could understand or appreciate it." Mason nodded his agreement. "Where is your wife? Everyone is just dying to meet the two of you. You've been tucked away for far too long."

"She's at home. There's just so much to do around there."

"Are you bringing in furniture then? There was a few pieces still, but not enough to supply every room in that house. Unless of course, you'll keep part of it closed up. I can't imagine the heating bill for that place." There was another laugh that followed.

"No, we're just taking it one step at a time. She's unpacking some of stuff and getting the lay of the land, trying to figure out what she wants to do with it." Mason lied easily. "Where is your husband then?"

"He's working, he had a sudden work call just before we were heading out. Typical and convenient. He dislikes shopping of any kind and especially when I'm not trying anything on for him."

"What is your husband's name?" Mason had nothing to work off from what she'd told him other than his profession and a little of his personality. If Serena ever ventured out of the house, she'd be surprised by how nice some of the people were. Though they might not be from the same background as the rest of the town, Mason didn't know yet.

"Zain Prescott." Ami positively beamed. "We should get everyone together sometime. I'd probably have to get Zain to host, because I can't guarrantee every arrangement, with my schedule, but I'd love for your wife and you to come over. This weekend would be great, it'd be nice even numbers."

"I'm afraid this weekend won't work for us." Mason quickly hedged, he still hadn't gotten Serena out of the bedroom for more than a few occasions, he feared what would happen with putting her in a room full of people.

"That's a shame." Ami looked put out for a moment before bouncing back and her tenacity reminded him of a very specific blond he was missing and what he had only caught glimpses of from the one holed up in the house at the moment. "Oh well, I'm sure introductions will be happening shortly all around and there is a big gala happening in a month or so. We always have a yearly festival for the town between Christmas and New Years. You would not want to miss it. No one ever does. Everyone always makes it back in time. Well, except my sister. She prefers the summer one to this holiday one. She just hates the cold and hates that time of year." Mason nodded along as they checked out, and walked outside. "Well, I hate to run- but you know how things go, the significant other waiting for you. Say hello to your wife for me, I'm sure she's just lovely."

Mason knew it to be true, but wished it could be shown just a hair more as he headed back to the house. Serena might not be his wife, but he definitely had a husbandly concern towards her. He rang the buzzer outside the driver side window and Art let him in, and he watched the gate shut behind him before he parked outside of the mansion. Ami was right about one thing, this place was definitely meant for a large family. Or at least people to fill the empty halls. He let himself in and he barely made it across the foyer before a bundle attached itself at his waist and he set down the groceries on the side table and held her tightly bad. "Is everything all right? Did something happen while I was gone?" He felt Serena shake her head negatively and he relaxed slightly and re-holstered his weapon. "What's the matter?"

"I-" Serena pulled back and wrapped her arms around herself and looked towards the ground. "I was just nervous and missed you and this house is really big and empty and scary when you aren't around, or I know that at least."

Maybe he should leave more often it if meant she'd get out of the bedroom more often. If they had really been a newly married couple, he would be pleased with the idea of her never leaving the bedroom, but they weren't and he shoved a bag of groceries into her arms. "Help me put these away."

They walked into the kitchen and the rhythmic pattern of something she used to do helped calm her considerably. "I think I'd like to see the rest of the house now." Serena admitted once they finished.

"I think that would be an excellent idea." Mason showed her around the house and told her what Art had told him about each of the rooms and the history of what it was used for and who occupied them in the past. Serena was fascinated.

If this had been a typical relocation project, she would be forced to find a job after the first couple of weeks, but since it wasn't and nobody knew how long she'd be staying here, it wasn't a priority. Mason had unlimited funds set up in a fake name, one other than his cover's name and since neither of them had actual papers to back up any of their claims, he wasn't forcing her to work. Nobody knew they were there and if any hint of a paper trail being followed was alerted to attention, he'd be moving her and uprooting her again. So that's why he chose this place, it was perfect for it and it wouldn't look weird in a high-clout area like this. People moved all the time without notice just because their whim took them somewhere else.

The last place had been a mistake in so many ways, and if he had been in charge, none of those mistakes would have been made. Gabe was a great agent, but something had broken down among the communications. "I ran into a nice young woman today at the supermarket."

"Thinking of cheating on me already?" Serena teased as they reached the end of the first floor. The could either go up or down and Serena chose to go down.

Mason grinned at the light that had sparked again in Serena, his leaving must have straightened her out somewhat, though she was far from whole, she was at least better than she was. Besides, this might not last long, and he wanted to keep it going. "I would, but she's got a husband."

"That's a shame. It's the first time I've heard you speak of a female."

"I thought you knew I had a fiancee at home." Mason knew that personal information was highly regarded as a negative, but rules were stuffy and made up in an office somewhere and weren't made in the real world. In the real world, lines got blurred a little and to get Serena to trust him, he'd have to tell her about himself, at least without specifics, if he expected her to relay on him. To depend on him, she needed to be able to know he was telling the truth and connect with him in some way. Especially now that they were pretending to be married, others would expect them to know something about their spouse. Although this wouldn't really be table talk to anyone out of their very private circle.

"I thought I heard something about that in passing. Is she a tall gorgeous redhead? With all sorts of curves?" Serena was picking her way through the storage room of a basement, and found a cellar further off that housed an amazing collection of wine.

Mason laughed. "Actually, she's a _lot_ like you. It's easy to see resemblances."

"I can't believe you're married to her twin in this made up world. This was supposed to give you some variety."

"You're very crude when you want to be." Mason helped her across back with a bottle of red wine in her hands. "What's this for?"

"Well you're making dinner aren't you? This will go with any meal."

"I'm surprised you know that."

"I can't cook, but I'm not dead. I know my wines." Serena pushed him slightly as they made their way back upstairs and she went into the kitchen. She opened the bottle and left it to sit for the next hour. "Who leaves amazing wine like that downstairs?" She shook her head in disgust. "It should be shared."

"I thought wine got better with age."

"It does, until a certain year and then it just gets nasty." Serena's blue eyes twinkled. Getting out and about was good for her, even if it was just around the house, and not even outside of its walls. "The rest of the house?" He dutifully led her on a tour of the rest of the place.

Mason stopped on the landing by the top most floor. There was only a small attic type room up there and it was previously a playroom for slightly older children, but not teenagers. "What to do now?" Mason asked, holding Serena steady as she tripped on the last couple of steps.

"Now I get to watch you cook. It was always my favorite thing to watch growing up." Serena's blue eyes started to darken with red and well up as she remembered her past, a past she probably would not get to share in again. "I miss them all so much."

Mason held her against his chest and ran his hand down her back. It was an impossible situation for anyone and she was very sensitive as well, and on top of that, he could make false platitudes, but at the end of the day, anytime he chose, he could go home to the love of _his_ life and go back to his regular job. He had to first make sure Serena was out of the woods first, but she would never go back to the life she once had. She never got to say goodbye or give an explanation to her disappearance and nobody would ever know what happened to her or her knowing what happened to anyone else. "Come on, you can help me."

"I'd make a disaster out of it." Serena choked back her tears. "Just like I do with everything else."

Mason caught her and held her face gently in his hands as he looked down at her. "What happened with Gabe was not your fault." Serena looked away. "Hey." He called, bringing her gaze back to him. "Believe me, it was nothing you did wrong. Something else happened and people on the other end are investigating it, you could have done nothing different and you couldn't have stopped it."

"If I hadn't been in protection detail in the first place-"

"It was supposed to be a safe house, it wasn't. The people you are testifying against are very bad people. They'd attempt to kill anyone who was a witness. It was only a matter of time before they got caught by an innocent viewer. It just happened to be you, sad luck of the draw, but you're strong and you'll carry through. I can't think of a person more deserving of protection or one who I would be happy to lay my life down in order to save yours."

"Don't talk like that." Serena shook her head, pulling it out of his grasp. "I'm no one special, and I don't deserve to be killed over or saved at the cost of another person's life."

"It is exactly that attitude that would make me glad to do it. I would do it for anyone under my watch, it's my job and my duty and what I live to do. However I would know it was for the greater good to do it for you or someone just like you."

A frown tugged across Serena's face as she stared at him and shook her head. "I don't want any more death because of me."

"That's why we're here, trying to prevent that." Mason whispered down to her, trying to reassure her. "Only three people in the entire world know that we're here and two of them are standing here right now. There is no reason for anyone to pick you out as that girl who disappeared up north."

Serena laughed. "I don't know if I should be happy about that or disappointed."

"I think you should be very happy. I know I am, it makes my job easier."

"Then I'll be happy, if only because it'll keep both of us safer." Serena pulled away from Mason and shoved her hands into her back pockets and shrugged innocently. "So what now?"

"I guess that would be up to you." Mason acknowledged. "I'd like to get you out of this house, it isn't healthy to purposely coop yourself up all the time."

Serena hugged herself and shook her head. "I'm not ready for that."

Mason nodded. "I know that. But that's where I'd eventually like you to get to. What do you want to do?"

"I'm thinking of redecorating the place." She was teasing him but he looked at her critically. "What?" She questioned, looking back quizzically.

"I think that's a great idea. It'll keep you busy and take your mind off things. It'll be a good start."

"But the money-"

"Is going to be covered. Don't worry about it. This won't be a permanent change, but I think this house needs a little TLC."

The house was in good shape, it just needed a little redecorating and sanding and varnishing and waxing. Also a little of dusting and painting and furniture. There could be a lot she could do with this place to put her own personal touch on it. This was just inside as well, but perhaps in time she might work on the garden in the back and then maybe the front flowerbeds as well, add a little touch to the front, make it a little more inviting, a little more homey and make her happier to be there.

"Just don't..."

Serena sighed and nodded. "I will try not to let my thoughts reflect anything I am doing." Serena knew though it would be a losing cause, as did Mason, but they both knew she had to start somewhere.

"All right. What do you want to work on first?"

"My bathroom."

Mason chuckled, somehow knowing that would be the case. "Ok then, lets go up there and discuss what we'll need from the store."

Serena looked at him shocked. "You're going to help me?"

"As far as heavy products and buying them for you, yes, everything else you're on your own unless you want my help." Mason pushed her towards the stairs. "Will you show me what you're thinking?"

He personally thought the kitchen should be the first thing upgraded, but she'd get there eventually. Maybe she would do the most commonly used rooms before getting onto the rest of the house. By that standard, he'd be looking to have the kitchen done third. Unless of course she made a progression, and then it'd probably be last, and he'd starve from lack of variety in food.

It was the most he'd seen her talk in all the time he'd known her, and it was refreshing to realize that she'd be all right, she would have bad days like the ones she'd finally snapped out of, but the thread in her that ran deep was one of perseverance. She'd already had enough trauma in her life to build up a slight resistance to being sucked completely into despair and depression. She just needed time to adapt and adjust and deal with the things going through her head.

"So I need to go pick up tile samples, paint booklets and whatever else I can find in the available decorating in a form of a look-book?"

"Yep, anything that can give me an idea of what's out there readily available right now." Serena stretched and yawned, she was tired after today's light activity. More so than she should be, but it was probably because of the distinctive lack of activity before that. She was surprised she didn't gain weight or lose all her muscle definition. "I'm going to go to bed now, would you like to join me?" She batted her eyes at him, but he knew she wasn't serious, at least in that regard.

"I'll join you later." He rested a hand on her shoulder before leaving. "You're doing good kid."

Serena rolled her eyes as he left her in peace and she changed into one of the few outfits she had been able to bring along, a nightshirt and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over her, but not completely hiding herself. Mason slept on the side of the bed closest to the door, he always did. So she left him that side open and fell asleep shortly after she laid down.

She felt the bed depress as he joined her later on, she was never completely unaware of her surroundings, never completely at ease. She willed herself to go back to sleep at a slightly deeper level, it was bad to not sleep enough. Tomorrow morning she would join him for breakfast and then add onto his list, he could get them both something to exercise with. One of these rooms could be a fitness room.

* * *

EAN: Can you believe I've updated? I know, I can hardly believe it myself! I've been so lazy on this front... sigh, I really must update more often. You would all probably be happier if I did.


	4. Chapter 3

Poker Face

11 March 2010-

but the idea came about SO much earlier, just not sure if typed it up before...

SUM: Not Gaga song! Serena's in witness protection, Darien is a local chief of Police in her relocation, he doesn't know she's in it.

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Chapter 3

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AN: I've noticed something, not directed towards any particular reviewer, because I do it myself when I'm psyched for how a particular romance will work out, but people are too ready to throw out the rest of the characters and just concentrate on Serena/Darien. Many of my favorite stories I miss Darien whenever he's not in the story or any other romantic interest or Serena and want the author to go back to them. Even when it isn't a SM story I feel that way. If this wasn't a S/D story but a complete standalone that wasn't even in the romance section, or even if it was, depending on the story/author, the readers wouldn't just be looking for the entrance and continuation of one character. They'd be trying to figure out the plot and read the rest of the story, the actual story, not just the interaction between two people. I even got yelled at when I wrote a story that had a very simple romance in the story because it was too much of a romance story for them, even though they didn't end up together in the end and it was more of a thinking back to a time when the main character had been happy, before she made one wrong decision that led her down a multitude of others...

AN2: Anyway, ignore all that above. Can you believe it? I've updated! Yay!

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–

It took two weeks of intermittent work but she finally got the bathroom, the bedroom and a fitness room done. There were a few things that she could not do, like waiting for things to be delivered. Mason promised he'd be there for delivery and she could hide on the other side of the house for that. Though she'd need to tell him where she wanted everything.

She kept it all very classic and fit the house, but also bright and fitting her personality and mixed classic with the modern. Mason was admiring her handy work when she came in. There was a smudge of paint on her cheek that she hadn't noticed and he tried to wipe it off, but only managed to smear it more.

"You're looking better." He noted, the color was back in her cheeks, her energy was up more and her bruises were just reaching the halfway point. They were the worse he'd seen them, but there were ones that were starting to fade from the newest bunch. Even her eyes were more alive. She reminded him more today than ever the girl he had left behind.

"Thanks. What do you think of our room?" She gestured, she had done almost all of the work, but he had gone out and bought what she wanted.

"I think it looks wonderful. Are you finished then?"

"For now. I'm waiting on a few things to get in, but by then I'll be working on the kitchen. I know you were looking forward to that one the most." Serena teased.

He nodded, he thought he might be losing weight from the lack of being able to cook like he was used to. "That sounds about perfect."

"I'm leaving the oven how it is, the old style is wonderful. Do we really have it in our budget to redo it and get new appliances?" She knew how to hook everything up, old houses didn't scare her, her father had taught her. She tried not to think of him and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"It's fine, we need it and it'll be covered." Mason rubbed his hand against her head. "Just take a break for now and I'll find us a movie to watch while you take a shower, ok?"

Serena nodded, that wasn't something they'd done a lot of. The TV had just been brought in earlier in the week. She had been too excited to distract herself in that manner. He didn't have it hooked up to the regular channels, just the movie ones. It was all right, she didn't want to watch out for news on her case anyway. Didn't want to see if her family was threatened or worse because of her, thinking she'd bend if she knew that. Mason read the paper and if it was free of information on that, he'd let her read too. If there was, she'd only get certain sections. He wanted to keep her out of that until it came time to testify. He hadn't taken any sections of the paper away the entire time they'd been here, the practice the same as when they were in Michigan. There it seemed as if a mouse had gotten hold of the paper.

Mason left the room while Serenity went for a shower. She slipped and landed on her butt in the tub when there was a loud knock on the front door. She could hear it all the way upstairs and with the water running. It had to be deafening downstairs.

Mason didn't even answer the door, it was just the one knock and then a moment's wait before the figure left the premise, deciding nobody was in. Mason was glad he'd parked in the garage this time. He'd have to talk to Art and Luann about allowing solicitors onto the property, this was the first one, but already it was too much.

He began wondering where Serena was when the water stopped running and still five to ten minutes later she still did not come down. Mason put a hand on his gun, drawing it out from its cover and went upstairs, that length of time could be detrimental if anything happened to her. He opened the door cautiously but she wasn't in the room. Then he headed for the bathroom but while things were wet and the mirrors were fogged up, she wasn't there either. Leaving the steam filled room he came back out to the main bedroom and looked around again. If he did not find her in a moment, he'd have to call the police and FBI and local Marshal branch and tell them to do a city and interstate wide search for her. Did that person knocking somehow find a way into the room? He checked all of the locks, but they were secure. Then he saw a sliver of gold and followed it to the bed, underneath it, Serena huddled, protecting herself.

Mason sighed and re-holstered his weapon. His hands reached in after her and pulled her out. All of her hard work spiraled backwards with this uninvited intrusion. He hoped that she didn't relapse completely. He didn't tuck her into the bed though like before, instead he brought her with him to the TV room and pushed play on the movie screen. Though she huddled into his side the entire time, she at least hadn't bolted back for the room and tried to watch the film.

Tomorrow when the time was better, he'd ask Art and Luann who had knocked. Then he would state again how he didn't want visitors.

Serena's body was pressed against his and she was warm on this cold day. He found himself nodding off a little as the movie continued. When he shook himself awake, he noticed that the credits were rolling and Serena was sound asleep. He should have stayed awake better than that, but this was home for now and so far it seemed to be a pretty safe location. He slept occasionally, it was better if he'd do that now. While he slept he still had an ear open for anything else going on. Mason slid out from under her and then lifted her off the couch and brought her back to their shared room and laid her in the bed, pulling the covers over her. He took off his shoes and pants and top and slid in on the other side. His back was to hers and he was facing the door.

–

A week further found Serena humming and making jokes as she worked on the kitchen. Mason was there to help her as these things were heavy and difficult to move. She'd found a color similar to the one that used to be in here and it was just a paint job for now, the new appliances would be in within a few days. The paint wasn't the easiest thing to do though, as the old paint was chipping off and she needed to sand it all down before she could apply the fresh layer. It would also brighten up the room as it would be new.

Mason enjoyed helping Serena but he couldn't help but think that they needed other things to do in addition to this house. Serena needed to get out of the house. She was walking around the inside fairly freely, but she needed to leave it, see other people. Let other people know that he hadn't trapped her in the basement or with all the new supplies, hadn't buried her in the walls.

He kept hinting at it and Serena knew that's what he was doing, but when he wasn't in the room with her, she was still shaking, it made things impossible but she somehow managed. Every sound this old house made had her jumping and almost hitting her head on the ceiling. She was still terrified that as soon as she took a breath, something bad would happen. Something would happen to one of them.

"Oh no." Serena looked down at her tray and it was empty of paint, she looked into the can and it too was without any to transfer into her tray. "I'm out."

"I'll go to the store and get you another gallon?" He looked around the room and shook his head. "Maybe another two." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back soon."

She looked up and into his eyes and nodded. He smiled at her and then left out the back door in the kitchen, locking it behind him.

Elsewhere Darien was pacing the empty length between jail cells. There was no crime to speak of on a weekday and without something else to occupy his mind his thoughts kept going back to the house that was taken out from under him.

He had saved up just enough money to buy it during his last paycheck but by then it had been too late. He had stopped in to visit with Luann and Art after his sister told him about meeting the new owner. Darien had been aware that it had been bought before that and he had been furious. He had wanted nothing to do with the new owners, hoping they'd get the cold shoulder and then decide to leave. That was a house that he had been dreaming of since he was a little boy and it was just within his reach now. To be snatched like that from him was more than just a little annoyance. These slick city kids were the worst, nobody had been round to look at the place, nobody had inspected it. They just bought it up and expected Art and his wife to take care of the details so it would be move in ready.

Darien was good friends with them and had finally deemed it time to swing around and talk to his friends about the new tenants after Ami had pointed out to him that the man seemed nice enough when she ran into him in the store. They didn't even come by the police station to introduce themselves. They didn't introduce themselves to anyone it seemed as he talked to more and more of the local population. This new couple in their midst hadn't even joined up at the club. There were only a few that had even seen the man, when he came to town to buy supplies or groceries. He was even seen buying a few female outfits in one store but hadn't been seen there again after that one stop.

So Darien had gone to talk to Art and Luann, see how they were fairing with the new tenants, how the new tenants were and he guessed, spy on them, see if they were regretting their decision to come to Virginia. It surprised him to learn that Art hadn't really gotten much dirt on the new arrivals. He'd talked to the man a few times, saw the female in passing, but couldn't even be sure what she looked like, other than small. They didn't like company and the girl never seemed to be out of the house. The man was friendly but kept to himself as well, and if Art couldn't pry information out of people the friendly way, then nobody could.

It didn't sit right with Darien and while he was sitting with Luann, and Art had gone to the bathroom, Darien told her that he was going to go check on what he still considered _his _house. They'd leave soon and then he could buy it. Though he'd have to save up more money now, they really knew how to mess up this fine piece of property. It had been left abandoned for so long that the cost had diminished substantially. He was going to buy it and fix it up right and never sell. Now that they had lived in it, they'd be asking a lot more for the resale value, even if they didn't touch a single thing and from the way it sounded around town, that wasn't what they were doing. He only hoped they didn't mess it up too badly.

Luann didn't say anything about it and he wandered up the property and knocked on the door. Like he forgot it would, it echoed through the house and it was rather loud. He heard stairs creaking but after a few beats of his heart, he realized the person had been walking away from him and not towards. He waited a few moments longer before he turned and headed back to the caretakers. Like Art said, they didn't like visitors. He didn't care, the less friendly they were to others, the less receptive everyone would be and the likelihood of them leaving soon would raise exponentially.

That was a week ago. Now Darien realized why things didn't settle right with him. There had been only one of the couple that had appeared around town for almost a month now, and even the people the lived on the same property hadn't seen the girl, only a blur running past on the first day. That was all. Darien began to worry about the girl, wondered if perhaps she was being held captive or something similar. At first he thought, like everyone else, that she was going through cold-turkey rehab, but with the kinds of supplies the man was buying, it sounded like they were intending to settle in. That would be a weird combination otherwise.

Was the man having her work on the house like a slave? He had to find out. As Chief of Police he could use that as his cover to inquire politely in case he was wrong and use it as a welcoming to his city instead of an interrogation.

When he arrived, Art looked at him with disagreement in his gaze as he let him through the gate. "They asked again to be left alone. Apparently your presence here last time went against their wishes. I really think you should let this be. He's easy going about everything else but when he spoke of this order being followed, I saw that nothing else could be more serious."

"Such is the case with predators." Darien agreed, and Art let him drive through, he could argue but then again, what would be the point? Darien could arrest him if he chose on obstruction of justice. Not that he would, but Art was curious too and Darien wouldn't go over the line.

Art hadn't let Mason out, Luann had taken care of the gate for him and hadn't seemed important to mention to her husband. Darien drove up to the front of the house and the expensive car wasn't out in front. He wondered if maybe it was parked around back or put in the garage for a change. Though there was no snow on the ground, it was cold enough to try and keep it as warm as possible so when they did go and try to drive it somewhere, it wouldn't be such a shock. He looked up into the sky and figured it was about ready to dump on them, and he wondered vaguely if this old house would be able to combat with the impending chill.

He knocked on the door, loudly this time. He heard it echo throughout the house. He waited a beat and then knocked again. A third time he knocked and still there was no answer. He turned the knob but encountered a lock and he rattled the door for good measure. He wanted to make sure that their home was secure if they were well and truly out.

Darien turned back around and headed back to his waiting car, the engine still running and drove back down. He stopped by Art who was looking rueful. "Seems the master of the house has gone out for the day. Luann didn't see the missus in the vehicle, but she's so small and likes to hide, so it wouldn't surprise me." Art never _really_ gossiped, at least not too much and he was curious about what Darien thought. "Why do you think they've moved in to such a small community but have made no effort to get to know their neighbors."

Darien looked back at the house with a thoughtful look. "Well you guys are way out here, maybe they came for the seclusion." He wanted to know if the woman was inside or not, but if the man was out, she could have easily come to the door, he wouldn't be there to stop her. Unless she was terrified of her husband. Though their agent had said they were newly weds. Surely she wouldn't be terrified of the man that quickly unless he really was a monster. "It's easier to get that here than in a big city, though that's easier to be ignored in. Richmond isn't too far away from here."

"Even our big cities still offer a lot of land space. They could have had both any number of places." Art disagreed, though there was a lot of land surrounding this house, they were barely even in the same zip-code as the town.

"Hopefully they'll move soon."

Art grinned at Darien. "I don't know, it seems like they've been putting a lot of work into the place. Maybe it started out as a rehab but now they've decided to settle down roots but going about it in a weird way."

Darien scowled at his friend. "Don't even tease. I'm annoyed as it is that they'll increase the sales' price."

Art shrugged. "Maybe you'll have better luck with another month. Perhaps she'll stick her head out of the house then."

"If she's still alive."

"I think she is. Michael never seems to have even an iota of paint on his hands. I think she's doing all the work, keeping busy rather than going stir crazy." Art gave a few thuds against Darien's hood and stepped back to allow Darien to leave on that note. Darien's mood plummeted from annoyed to sour at that moment, watch out any law breakers today, best not even jaywalk.

As Darien drove down the drive, he saw a car passing him going the other way and saw the outline of a man within, but he didn't stop and turn around. It was the woman he was more interested in seeing, just to make sure she was still alive if she existed at all.

–

Serena was in her room putting away the freshly washed clothing when she heard a knock on the front door. She tried to steady herself by taking deep breaths, thinking they'd go away if she didn't answer. Another pound against it and she jumped a mile high and was already on her way to the bathtub by the time the third one vibrated into her ears. Then she heard rattling and thought that they were trying to break in. Serena shut the bathroom door, locked it and then covered herself with her blanket in the tub, cowering and waiting for the one to interrupt her peaceful solitude to leave.

They must have, because soon it was Mason knocking on the door and talking to her through it when he couldn't open it. Mason had come home to find the house seemingly void of life, even though Serena wasn't her best, she sure did bring life to the house in even the smallest of ways. Serena managed to pull herself out of the tub and with the blanket wrapped securely around her, she opened the door for Mason.

"What happened now?" He asked tiredly, seeing her taunt features. "Someone was trying to get in through the front door."

Mason stood up straight. "I've talked to them about that. Maybe I need to threaten something more serious like eviction from the property!"

"No!" Serena didn't know these people but feared what would happen if they kicked them out and then later they too left. "This is their home, we're the guests."

"We've bought the house and had them stay on. We don't need them. They're only there to open and close the gate really. I can do that myself when I leave and come back. I can install a remote access one or keypad."

"But if we make a fuss now, it might get into wider circles and then it might get out to the wrong people."

"That's rich." Mason shook his head, latching onto that argument and changing the subject slightly. "If you didn't want gossip about us, or rather at least less, it would have been better to get out there right away and make friendly with our townspeople." Mason knew why she didn't want to, but he had over looked her next point.

"Right, like there wouldn't have been gossip about the new man and his purple wife!" Serena argued back. "You'd be accused of either spousal abuse or that I was an alien that you'd hoped to harbor on the Earth without anyone's knowledge." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we wouldn't have any gossip then."

"True." Mason ran a hand through his hair and looked her over. "The bruises are a light brown now. In a week or so they'll be gone. Maybe then you'd like to try and go into town. It's a very cute area, I think you'll like it. Even more than that, I think it'll do you good to get fresh air and a different change of scenery. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Maybe, in a week." Serena agreed.

"Good and then in the mean time, I'll be setting up the house with state of the art security without being obvious about it." He did as he said, it had tiny pin lenses that would record without being seen and several methods of communication to the central security system, land, wireless and manual. All three of which would offer an alternative to anyone attempting to tamper with it. The security system would only be disengaged with a print from either him or Serena. Their print records were wiped from the database so there wouldn't even be a flag to a top secret file. If someone tried to break in, there would be a thirty second delay before a secondary measure was taken. Mason would figure out the correct way to exact that while still leaving the house intact and remain true to its time period on the outside while protecting the inhabitants.

–

A few days later found Serena in the doorway. Mason stood behind her, having just come into the room and was looking at her as if amazed that she had taken such a large step forward (and on her own). While he watched though, she didn't go further, just breathing in deeply the air outside and looking out over the field that was now her home. She turned around and shut the door, unsure what to feel about it. It was quite lovely, but it wasn't _home_. It was just some place she was currently living and pretending and trying to make it her own.

Mason though was rather impressed and was trying to think of a suitable way to reward her for her courage and to encourage her to go further in the future. Serena didn't see him as she wandered out of the room, but he had stopped in the open hallway and was behind a pillar without intending to hide from her view. That served to remind him that he needed to be more consciencience in teaching her how to be more aware of her surroundings. How to avoid getting into compromising positions as well as when to detect if someone was in the room with her and what to do if all of it came together against her.

Mason let her be for now though, he'd tackle all of that when she was back on her feet and in a fighting shape. Mason turned around and went back to working on their identities. They had already given names and a cover of being newly married, but that would only protect them for so long. They could only hide out here for a few months under that guise and then they would _have _to go out into the open, together or else be bombarded at home more often. It would be a great start for someone to set eyes on Serena, even once.

This was a start and gave Mason hope for the future. Serena would get better and once it came time for a trial, she'd help put those bastards away.


End file.
